Elaine Flinn's Molly Doyle series is set in upscale Carmel, where Molly begins to rebuild her life after her husband ruins her New York reputation and runs of with the restorer he scammed and schemed with. Yes, Molly's on the up and up, putting her experience, connections and nose for that hidden treasure back to work in California. Instead of Sotheby and Christies, Molly's checking out California yard sales and flea markets and getting into trouble over dead bodies and odd antiques.  Deadly Collection, published in 2005 by Avon, is Flinn's latest mystery.

Flinn's mysteries are well written and good, fast reads. Her characters, especially Molly, are realistic -- they become exhausted and elated, suspicious and vulnerable. They drink, smoke, get mad and curse and eat too many microwave dinners. The books are well plotted and intricate with lots of antique lore and inside scoops to keep you learning about the merch and the biz throughout the books.

Flinn's first novel, Dealing In Murder (2003), was nominated for the Agatha, the Gumshoe, the Barry and the Anthony. The second in the series, Tagged For  Murder, was awarded the Barry for best paperback original of 2004. Taking ‘write what you know’ to the fullest – Elaine Flinn is on a crusade to help collectors avoid Emptor Caveat (Buyer Beware) while her Molly Doyle uncovers fraud, greed and catches a few killers.

"Molly's (and Flinn's) depth of professional expertise makes the Antiques Roadshow look like a La-Z-Boy commercial. If you want learn how to tell Sheraton from Shinola, and tons more besides, this book blows the rest of the antique-mystery subgenre out of the water," says author Cornelia Read in a recent review.